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Oct 30, 2015epelto12 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I was provided an Advance Reader Copy by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. This book is “ghostwritten” by Hilary Liftin for Lizzie Pepper, who is a small-time movie star turned big-time paparazzi magnet. Lizzie meets Rob Mars, one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, and they fall madly in love. Some think too madly and quickly. Rob Mars is also a major advocate for a secretive cult-like “community” called One Cell, where they focus heavily on meditation and betterment of self. However, when Lizzie joins One Cell, things slowly spiral out of her control, and she has to find her way out of the community, celebrity, and her beloved husband’s home. This is a great guilty pleasure read, with romance, mystery, and a fight for life. It would be impossible to ignore the fact that this story is a fictionalized version of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's relationship. The marriage, the crazy controlling religion, down to the movie roles and relationships that the characters have. There were enough changes to help deny the connections, but it was very easy to spot from very early. Don't get me wrong though -- I found it very interesting as I hadn't followed the story of TomKat, and there are some things that are speculated that the public would not have known. However, if you look past that, the story is intriguing and it was hard to put down. From the very beginning, I followed Lizzie's emotions. It was easy to see how she became so entrapped in her life of luxury and celebrity. It was also an interesting view into how Hollywood and One Cell/Scientology operate from the inside (allegedly). The end was kind of anti-climactic and less dramatic that I had wanted, but it did tie up most loose ends.